Fantasy Baseball Draftable Catchers, Including a Star and a Secret Weapon
Breaking down the catchers expected to be drafted in fantasy baseball leagues according to ESPN rankings.
One of my favorite fantasy baseball exercises each year is looking at the draftable players at each position based on their ADP rankings. It has similarities to ranking players in tiers, but this is specifically looking at where players are being drafted, not my own determination (though I'll give my thoughts on each guy).
Let's start with the catchers, where there are a few high-level players, but the quality quickly falls off to a lot of guys who are all the same in fantasy value. It's not easy to find production at catcher, but savvy owners can fill the position with value picks at different points of the fantasy draft.
The number listed in front of each player is his ESPN ranking in points leagues among all players, and those rankings are accurate as of March 8. Most stats are from MLB.com.
Check out the draftables at other positions at the respective links:
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The Star
- 12. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
Raleigh stood out from everyone else at his position last season, finishing with 60 home runs, 24 doubles, 110 runs, 125 RBI, and 97 walks. He strikes out a lot, but he's not the only one. There's no debating that he was the best catcher in fantasy last year.
While it's not fair to expect the same production this season, Raleigh should continue to hit for power and will be part of strong lineup in Seattle, keeping up his run-scoring and RBI chances. This is the clear top option at catcher.
A Clear Second
- 26. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
Contreras was the consensus top fantasy catcher heading into 2025, and he had a good season despite seeing essentially every number drop from 2024 (he did add six walks while cutting 19 strikeouts). His stats were more in line with his 2023 numbers and maybe what we should expect moving forward.
That leaves him as a strong fantasy pick at a position where it is hard to find production at times. Those who miss out on Raleigh can feel secure at the position with Contreras in the third or fourth round.
First Baseman in Disguise
- 60. Ben Rice, New York Yankees
Rice will play most of his games at first base for the Yankees, probably sitting against lefties in favor of Paul Goldschmidt. Rice showed that he is a big-league hitter last season, finishing with 26 homers and 28 doubles in fewer than 500 at-bats.
His defense as a catcher leaves plenty to be desired, so Rice is likely to settle in as a 1B/DH type while serving as more of an emergency catcher. That would rob us of catcher eligibility next season, but we can take advantage of his dual-position capability this year, getting first-base production from the catcher slot many days.
Rice is one of my favorite fantasy picks this year, particularly if you want to wait on catcher until outside the top few rounds.
Meat of the Position
- 81. Shea Langeliers, Athletics
- 91. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
- 102. Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves
- 104. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
- 108. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
- 112. Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros
- 113. Agustin Ramirez, Miami Marlins
This is where most fantasy owners will find their Opening Day fantasy starter at catcher (along with the next few groups). Many of these guys are likely to end up with similar stats, so it won't matter as much who you draft; it comes down to preference and what you're looking for from your catcher spot.
Langeliers really found his bat last year, finishing with 31 home runs, 32 doubles, and a .277 batting average that is highly uncommon in today's game, particularly at catcher. The A's will play their home games in the minor league park of Sacramento again, something that led to a lot of offense last year, so Athletics' players will get an extra boost.
Smith has been a consistent presence in the middle of LA's lineup when healthy. He missed time at the end of last season, something that lingered into the playoffs, but his rate stats were way up, including career highs in batting average and on-base percentage.
There is a drop from Smith to the next tier, both in terms of rankings and expected production. As a rookie, Baldwin had 19 homers and 18 doubles while hitting .274 in just over 400 at-bats. Sean Murphy is out until at least May, so Baldwin will have the chance to lock down the position through the first month-plus.
Rutschman looked like a budding superstar, as you might expect from a former top overall pick, but he has fallen off big-time over the past two seasons. He dealt with injuries last year and had just 90 games played and 322 at-bats, so this is a buy-low opportunity on a guy who could bounce back, but I'm not trusting Rutschman unless I have another catcher who I expect to play often.
Perez has an advantage over pure catchers because he has played plenty of first base and DH recently, allowing him to appear in 158 and 155 games over the past two years. Perez also keeps hitting for power (30 homers and 35 doubles last season), and with eligibility at 1B, Perez is another guy I love this year.
Diaz has averaged around 20 home runs and 25 doubles in his three-year career, decent marks, though his slash numbers all fell precipitously last season. Ramirez was a rookie last year, notching 21 homers, 33 doubles, 72 runs, and 67 RBI. He struck out more than three times as often as he walked, something he will have to improve, but there's some intrigue.
Bench Guys
- 140. Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
- 141. Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays
- 177. Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
These guys are probably close in value to Diaz and Ramirez in the previous tier but available two or three rounds later. Goodman gets the benefit of playing half his games at Coors Field; he hit 31 home runs and 28 doubles last year while dealing with the same major strikeout issues as Ramirez to an even higher degree.
Kirk became a national name during Toronto's run to the World Series. He is better with batting average, strikeouts, and walks than the other guys here but hits for less power. Moreno has dealt with injuries his whole career, limiting his counting stats, though he did hit .285 in 277 at-bats last year.
Still Draftable
- 223. Kyle Teel, Chicago White Sox
- 228. Austin Wells, New York Yankees
- 231. J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
There are more names that could go here and others still who will outplay some who are listed, but we have to make the cutoff somewhere, and within the top 250 is as good a place as any. Teel made his major league debut last year after being acquired from Boston and showed intrigue that was expected from the high-level prospect. Edgar Quero will also get plenty of at-bats at catcher and DH in Chicago, and both guys are interesting late-round lottery tickets.
Wells had 21 homers and 22 doubles in 2025, though his slash numbers were all subpar. There's a chance for improvement, but I'd rather splurge for Rice early if I were going for a Yankee backstop.
Realmuto is a veteran who has produced in his career, but his numbers have held steady the past few years, for better and worse. He's probably a better real-life player than fantasy player (as many catchers tend to be).
